Central team visits Ispat General Hospital

ROURKELA: With the proposal for upgrading Ispat General Hospital (IGH) into a Super Speciality Hospital and Medical College (SSHMC) hanging fire, a Central team on Thursday reviewed the infrastructure and facilities in IGH before submission of feasibility report.

The team, led by Special Director General of Health Services Dr BD Athani, met senior staff of the hospital.

There has been inordinate delay regarding upgradation even though the project is being monitored by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The Central team’s visit came on the direction of the PMO. The team included six other senior doctors from Union Ministry of Health, All India Institute of Medical Science and RML Hospital, but none from PMO.

Athani told mediapersons that they reviewed the infrastructure and facilities of IGH and would submit a feasibility report. Before becoming Prime Minister, Narendra Modi had in April 2014 promised the project and on becoming PM, he officially announced it in April 2015.

To take up the issue, Union Tribal Affairs Minister and Sundargarh Lok Sabha Member Jual Oram and Rourkela BJP legislator Dilip Ray on several occasions had met the PM, former and incumbent Union Steel Ministers and SAIL Chairman, but to little avail.

After several meetings it was decided that the Steel and Labour Ministries would jointly implement the project. An angry Ray had also boycotted the visit of then Union Steel Minister Narendra Singh Tomar in June 2016. Recently, Ray in an outburst against Modi Government had said he was feeling ashamed to meet people of his constituency.

BJP’s arch rivals BJD and Congress continue to accuse Modi of cheating people of Rourkela. If sources are to be believed, the hope to kick-start the super speciality hospital part shortly is stuck in technical complexities.